Designing Your Customer’s Dream Pond

The environmental movement that began back in the 1960s has gained
momentum
through the decades and on into the 21st century. As human population
numbers explode, natural resources grow scarcer because of the infinite
appetite of commercial and developmental concerns. Environmental issues
have become more and more central to our national debates on both sides
of the political aisle.

If
we’re not careful, and we’re unable to act swiftly, we will continue to
lose more and more valuable habitats and wildlife around the world.

Parks and reserves
where wilderness and wildlife can prevail are only one part of the
solution. But now this concern is spreading to consumer property and
more people are becoming ecologically aware.

Backyard wildlife
habitats

With
roots in the environmental movement, backyard wildlife habitats have
developed and small, urban lots around the country are being transformed
into miniature nature preserves—some
homeowners are even having their backyards certified as wildlife
habitats.

Native trees and
plants flourish and provide local insects and other creatures with the
food and shelter necessary for their survival. Ponds and streams are
also built to supply the inhabitants with clean water. In fact, a water
feature is one of the main ingredients in a genuine backyard habitat,
and is required if the habitat is to be certified. Precious, life-giving
water is in short supply. Local rivers and ponds are becoming more and
more polluted and/or filled in because of unchecked urban growth and
commercial development.

Because of this, more and more people are adding naturalistic
water features into their own backyard living spaces. In designing a
natural-looking feature, we need to look no further than Mother Nature
herself for ideas.

Pond
design

Let’s
start with the shape—using irregular flowing lines is critical in the
planning stages. Homes, driveways, patios, and decks are just a few of
the items intertwined with a water garden design. Ponds vary greatly in
shape and size. There are many design considerations that are based on
the desired size of the pond.

When designing large ponds, usage needs to be
considered. Why is your customer
interested in such a large pond? Do they dream of lakefront property?
Lots of fish? Swimming? A few other things need to be considered when
you’re designing a larger pond. Remember, the only difference is in the
size of the project. The process is basically the same, the components
are just larger and/or more numerous.

Building smaller than average ponds can
actually be really challenging, because everything that goes into a
regular pond has to be squeezed into a much smaller space. Skimmers and
biological filters are still used in the small pond, and a waterfall is
still built to provide aeration. Since the ponds are smaller and
therefore contain less space, the placement of each component needs to
be carefully planned.

One of the most important parts of pond design is the edge, and
it’s important to transition naturally into the surrounding landscape.
There are several different ways to treat the edges of a large pond, but
the common goal is always to hide the liner and create a transition
from the pond to the terrestrial areas of the property.

On large projects, the
perimeter stones are typically larger, but not around the entire pond.
The large rocks look large because of the relatively small rocks that
surround them. If the entire pond is filled with large rocks, things
will look out of proportion. The same goes for using only small rocks.
The best ratio is 1:2:1 (1 part small, 2 parts medium, 1 part large).
However, this isn’t the be-all and end-all. You should be sure to keep
your customer’s desires in mind.

The next thing is planting the pond. Make sure you
leave enough room for plenty of aquatic plants, as they not only help
naturalize the pond, but they also play a huge role in keeping it
healthy by removing excess nutrients. Don’t forget about the option of
plant pockets spaced throughout the pond so that pots can be hidden and
plants have somewhere to root.

Remember to add those rocks and some gravel. How many
crystal clear ponds in nature do you see without rocks and gravel? None!
It’s part of the ecosystem, housing beneficial bacteria, and it’s a
great way to protect your liner from UV light.

Stones can be worked into
the pond’s perimeter, creating a huge planting area. They can also be
located further away from the pond, which will help make a natural
transition from the pond to the other landscaping. If this method is
used, simply have the water flow back to the main pond as a stream or
waterfall.

You’ll also want to make
sure that there’s enough room to place your skimmer on the end of the
pond. Skimmers are essential for drawing in surface debris and keeping
it from decomposing and settling on the bottom of the pond, producing
noxious gasses. Along those same lines, leave some room for the
waterfalls, which should be kept in scale with the size of the project,
so larger boulders and berms need to be created.

Designing the stream is
most people’s favorite part of the project, and it provides the greatest
interest and interaction. Have your customer help to decide on the
twists and turns. Streams are highly versatile and they create nature’s
music as they change gradients and cross the landscape. Streams can be
followed by pathways and traversed with stepping stones and bridges.

Streams are fairly
easy to build, but can become very difficult if a few rules aren’t
followed. When designing streams, the main thing to look for is
elevation changes that can work for or against you. Elevations working
for you will have the slope coming towards the viewing area. You can
simply carve out the hillside to create a natural area for a water
course. Be sure the stream traverses across the slope to increase the viewing
area and exposure, and to create a more natural looking streambed.

Views from the home and
surrounding seating areas are always targeted first when designing
streams and falls. If the budget allows, start the stream far enough
away from the viewing areas so people are drawn into the landscape to
explore the source of the water. Interactive water features will get the
greatest responses because they’re fun. We’re all drawn to water for
many different reasons.

The benefits of the stream

The shoreline is where
everything happens. The greater this area, the greater the enjoyment
you’ll get from your feature. The shoreline is where the marginal plants
interact with the terrestrial plantings, where we feed fish, and the
path we follow during walks.

So how do we increase this shoreline in a small space?
With streams.

Deep
streams are more pond-like, allowing fish to swim up into them, while
shallow streams are fastmoving and produce beautiful sounds. A winding
stream will give you the greatest shoreline for your buck. Combining a
long stream with a pond is the best scenario. And don’t forget about the
filtration and oxygenation of the water. Crashing falls will add
lifegiving oxygen to the anoxic pond depths. And larger projects should
always have a stream for this purpose alone.

It is advisable to build shelves into each and
every pond for a variety of reasons:

Safety: Creating ledges allows easy access in
and out of the pond for maintenance. This is much better than the
traditional sharp dropoff in which someone can slip and get injured
trying to get in and out.

Stability: Terracing is much more stable and it
reduces the risk of the walls collapsing into the pond.

Pondscaping: Shelves
create areas for aquatic plants.

Aesthetics: The shelves create interest on the
pond’s bottom as well as giving it a more naturalistic appearance.

Efficiency: Shelves
create a more efficient utilization of materials and installation
practices because it’s easier to build a series of small walls over one
large one.

Accessibility:
Shelves provide ease of accessibility to areas of the pond.

Human interactions

If nobody is around to
hear, see, or interact with a water feature, it might as well not exist.

Ponds and streams need to be designed with people in mind. Take
advantage of human nature and cater to your customers’ needs and wants.
It may be as simple as aiming a waterfall toward the master bedroom
window, or placing a bench in the right spot. One important tip: do not
put the pond in a low-lying spot of the yard that already gathers water,
no matter how convenient it seems. Allowing ‘outside’ water to seep
into a pond can introduce nutrients that could cause excessive algae
blooms or other adverse circumstances for the pond and fish.

Always bring a portion of
the project right up to viewing areas such as a deck or patio. This is
extremely easy to do, and it will complement the present structures. In
cold areas, leave a soil buffer to allow for some expansion near paver
or flagstone patios or walkways so the base does not collapse into the
pond. Decks are easy to work into the pond design because they can be
cantilevered over the water, giving it a dock-like feeling.

A complete environment can
also be built around a simple pond. Building new hardscapes can help
create the perfect spot and the ultimate exterior living
space, complete with a pond and a seating area alongside; it will
complement the perfect planting balance. Once you install a pond, it’s
much easier to gain future work from that same customer.

Either you have it or
you don’t

If you’re just getting started with water garden installation, or
even if you’re an old pro, it is important to keep these design
elements in mind when designing a pond of any size. You should always
know what your customer wants before you start digging. Then you can
build off their ideas and you’ll give them the pond they’ve always
wanted.